advice needed: Should I go to film school?

A

alexpw

I want to write and direct feature films; this much I know. I have this...yearning; it's deep inside of me. It's in my bones, I can feel it building with veracious intensity inside of my soul. I'm starting to believe that making films is my calling, it's more than just an interest to me. It has to be more than a hobby. I know I'm crazy; as filmmakers, aren't we all crazy? While the rest of our peers are preparing to be doctors, lawyers, and indian cheifs, we're preparing to enter the riskiest business in the world--a business with absolutely no guarantees, no matter how talented or ambitious you are.

So I've reviewed my options...all two of them. Either I go to film school...or I don't. In order to go to film school I would have to take out a student loan in the neighborhood of seventy-five thousand dollars--money that I could be using to fund a film of my own. However, in film school, I can afford to make mistakes, I can learn from the best, I can be surrounded by like-minded people. Plus an M.F.A. is a teaching degree, which means I would have a fall-back plan if my luck runs out.

However, I can't stop thinking that I should stop delaying the inevitable and just make a goddamn film--not one of my short videos, but a real film. I would scrimp and save and take out loans, and scrounge for investors, and sell my soul to satan for a few more feet of film stock...whatever it takes. I'm young, I'm ambitious, I'm motivated, and most importantly: fucking crazy. If I choose the film school route, I would most likely do all of that anyway, but I'd be seventy-five thousand dollars in debt while doing it--not a fun scenario.

I don't know, I guess I'm really just asking for a little advice or direction. Will going to film school get me any closer to directing feature films than not going to film school? If so, is it seventy-five thousand dollars closer, or is the furtherance not worth the money?

Who knows? Maybe I'll be the next Paul Thomas Anderson, or Jonathan Demme...or maybe I'll be living in a trash-can in the alley behind a porno theater. It's kind of a 50/50 situation in this business. But is there a route that will offer me a slightly better chance of achieving success?
 
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Yes. Go to school, and do it to the best of your ability. There might be a time in the future where you KNOW (not feel) you are ready to take on a feature, but if you're asking yourself this question, then you aren't at that stage yet (in my opinion).

I dropped out of film school, and I'll tell ya straight up that I am 99% certain I made the right choice. But, there is that 1% that gets my goat.

You are not a great filmmaker by birth, it takes practice. Like you eluded, film school gives you the opportunity to practice...a lot!

Another thing it does is give you solid contacts, and that can open up a bunch of job opportunities that drop outs like me can't touch (that's the 1% talking).

Poke
 
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No. I never went and I make my living writing/directing movies and stage entertainment.

With the availability of inexpensive digital video production and post equipment you can make two short movies a month to develop you skills.

Get a job on a set. Talk about great contacts. At film school you meet professors and other students. These students are just like you - they may or may not make it big and may or may not take you along when they do.

On a movie set you meet people who are actually making movies and are hiring for the next project.

As a person who hires I can tell you I will hire a kid you was a PA on a couple of my movies (who worked hard and people liked) over a film school grad with an impressive reel.

And that’s the way I have gotten all my jobs and referrals.

A fall back plan? I’m glad I never had one. In my first six or seven years of struggling I may have used a fall back plan when things got tough. I know too many people with the passion who slipped into their fall back plan and never recovered form earning a steady paycheck.

Better, IMO, to be 20-30 large in debt and have a could of finished feature films than 75 large in debt and have a few student shorts and a degree.
 
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Need more info...

alexpw said:
I want to write and direct feature films; this much I know. I have this...yearning; it's deep inside of me. It's in my bones, I can feel it building with veracious intensity inside of my soul. I'm starting to believe that making films is my calling, it's more than just an interest to me. It has to be more than a hobby. I know I'm crazy; as filmmakers, aren't we all crazy? While the rest of our peers are preparing to be doctors, lawyers, and indian cheifs, we're preparing to enter the riskiest business in the world--a business with absolutely no guarantees, no matter how talented or ambitious you are.

So I've reviewed my options...all two of them. Either I go to film school...or I don't. In order to go to film school I would have to take out a student loan in the neighborhood of seventy-five thousand dollars--money that I could be using to fund a film of my own. However, in film school, I can afford to make mistakes, I can learn from the best, I can be surrounded by like-minded people. Plus an M.F.A. is a teaching degree, which means I would have a fall-back plan if my luck runs out.

However, I can't stop thinking that I should stop delaying the inevitable and just make a goddamn film--not one of my short videos, but a real film. I would scrimp and save and take out loans, and scrounge for investors, and sell my soul to satan for a few more feet of film stock...whatever it takes. I'm young, I'm ambitious, I'm motivated, and most importantly: fucking crazy. If I choose the film school route, I would most likely do all of that anyway, but I'd be seventy-five thousand dollars in debt while doing it--not a fun scenario.

I don't know, I guess I'm really just asking for a little advice or direction. Will going to film school get me any closer to directing feature films than not going to film school? If so, is it seventy-five thousand dollars closer, or is the furtherance not worth the money?

Who knows? Maybe I'll be the next Paul Thomas Anderson, or Jonathan Demme...or maybe I'll be living in a trash-can in the alley behind a porno theater. It's kind of a 50/50 situation in this business. But is there a route that will offer me a slightly better chance of achieving success?
Click to expand...

You don't mention if you want to also write your own films. If so, I would recommend getting this down first and foremost. It all starts with a story and so many kids I meet these days simply do not understand that. They get some cool equipment and just want to start shooting... Please don't make that mistake. Learn what makes a great story first... Then learn how to write it.

filmy
 
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First things first - my recommendation is that you work on a couple films before making your decision. Use what contacts you have to get a PA job on a real set. And when you get one, bust your ass. Do NOT go in there acting like a hot shot writer director. Go in there and be a PA, and a good one. Even if you're just getting coffee, you're making contacts an being given the opportunity to get first hand on-set experience.

Now, while you're doing that, sit your ass down on your off hours and write. Then write some more. Then do it all over again. As Filmy said, get the writing down first, THEN worry about being a director.

Point being, the experience you get working as a PA on real shoots will be useful to you wether you decide to go to school or not. If you do go to school, you're one up on everyone else cause you've been there where they've only read about it. If you don't go to school and decide to take on a project of your own, you've made contacts who might be able to help and you have a much better idea what you're getting yourself in to.

One thing to remember, though, whatever you decide: nothing in this business comes easy. Lots of people want the same thing you want. 999 times out of 1000, the people that achieve those dreams are the ones that put in the effort and worked their way to where they are.

Best of luck to you!

-Jeff
 
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I would definitely echo what others have said here - be a PA on a couple of shoots. See if you can work your way up in one of the departments (production, camera, design, etc.) Get to know people who have experience.

Re. plunging ahead and making a feature - it helps if you know people. Your feature will be way more affordable and in the realm of possibility if you have made the right connections on a couple of PA gigs. Your feature will fly or fail on the basis of the team you assemble.

Re. film school - it can be a tough call. I learned 75% of my skills after film school - it was really just a warm up. A good film school will give you the structure to make a couple of shorts and you'll be surrounded with like minded peers. After graduation you'll all be in the same boat, though, scrambling for PA work or similar jobs.

Even at "good" film schools - AFTRS, VCA, London School of Film, NYU or USC - you might get the dangerously deluded idea that you "know something" before you get onto a professional set. Even if you do go to one of these schools your head might be in the clouds when you graduate and not suited for the gritty reality of being a $25-75/day or $0/day production assistant on a low budget shoot. I once met a recent USC grad who was already considering his legacy for the school (what he would give back to it as a philanthropist) - in other words, just a little bit out of touch.

Writer/directors get the glory but specializing in one of the crew positions may actually - gasp! - lead you to paying work.
 
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I can't say much others haven't already. I went to film school and the best part of it was making the contacts, getting hands on experience, and learning the basics of filmmaking. If you have a lot of friends you can rely on in helping you then film school is probably not needed so long as your out shooting stuff. If you don't have friends willing to help you out then film school is probably the way to go because you'll find a lot of willing participants.
 
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What have you done already? I'm assuming you are at least a junior in high school since you haven't chosen a school yet. If you have already done PA jobs and made short films it should make your desison easier, as others have said.
 
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